Many people are choosing contract employment, which leads to greater benefits for both employees and employers, says the Parc Group, a leading specialist recruitment organisation. While Parc places both contract and permanent staff, Anne-Marie Murphy, general manager of Parc's engineering and technology division, says that she has seen good growth in the number of candidates looking for contract work in construction, engineering, pharmaceuticals and utilities in recent months.

"Working on a contract basis helps facilitate the needs of an individual's working and family life," she says.

She says that some contractors work for nine months of the year, taking three months off in summer to be with their children. Younger graduates starting work often take up contract employment for 18 months to accumulate the money to go off on a grand tour. In a case cited by Anne-Marie Murphy, Parc placed a recently retired contractor whose preference was for a two and a half day working week. "The experience and industry knowledge of a skilled engineer which would otherwise have been lost, was made available to the employer, through the provision of a mutually agreeable contract placement," she concludes.